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Imagine the inside of a cell is like a large and crowded metropolitan city (think New York City) where a variety of activities are taking place each day. People need to move around the city to attend school, get to work, shop at the grocery store or dine out at a restaurant. In order for every activity to happen, the people in the city need to find their way to the right location. They rely on city planning elements, such as public transportation, highways and traffic signals to help them reach their destination.  

The same thing happens in our cells every day all day long. Microtubules are like a system of highways inside the cell that help to organize and coordinate the movement of everything inside the cell. 

Jeff and his team study how microtubules affect cell shape and function.

Every cell in our body contains a variety of organelles. You can think of organelles as little machines that carry out specific jobs for the cell. The way that these organelles are arranged within the cell is very important for keeping the cell stable and functioning properly, and for making different types of cells with different functions. When a cell changes shape or moves, like when it divides or moves to a new location, the organelles also need to move to new locations within the cell. This movement requires special transport systems and checks to make sure everything is in the right place.

Microtubules are like a system of highways inside the cell that help to organize the movement of the organelles, proteins and molecules. The microtubule highway is made of proteins that connect different parts of the cell for transport and communication. Motor proteins act like trucks, moving along these highways to carry cell parts and other materials from one location to another. Microtubules play a role in keeping cells healthy. Problems with the microtubule highway can lead to diseases like cancer and neurodevelopmental (aka brain) disorders.

The Moore research team studies how cells use the microtubule highway system to keep all of the organelles, proteins and important molecules in the correct location to keep the cell healthy and functioning. They use different types of cells in their experiments, from rat neurons to human cancer cells to a yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Combined with advanced microscopy and protein studies, the Moore lab is learning about how the microtubule network organizes the contents within the cell and how problems can cause diseases in humans. 

What experiments do Jeff and his research team do to answer their questions?

There are lots of exciting research questions currently being investigated by the Moore research team! Read below to learn more about what’s happening in the lab.

How do molecular motors (the protein ‘trucks’) interact with microtubule tracks (the ‘highways’) to generate motion?

Jeff and his research team are studying how the structure of the microtubule highway affects the function or how it works and is used. Microtubules have special tail regions that are important for their interactions with proteins and molecules inside the cell. These special tail regions can sometimes be modified or changed to alter how the microtubule is used. You can think of it like changes to a highway that alter how it’s used – maybe the end of the highway changes speed zones to make the traffic slow down or is worn down with a few potholes or defects in the road that leads to traffic congestion or cars (proteins) jumping off the track. Past research has helped scientists discover that these tail regions can vary quite a bit between different types of cells in humans. It turns out that all of these changes at the end of the track or tail of the microtubule highway can lead to differences in how they’re used. The Moore team has found that when the tail regions are disrupted, it can cause defects and problems with microtubule function. Exploring exactly what happens as a result of these defects is a current focus of the lab.

How does a cell keep its shape and structure when undergoing cell division, the process where one cell divides into two cells?

Cells needs to divide to grow and make more cells (aka reproduce). When they divide, they need to make sure that each new cell gets the same genetic material. Genetic material – which contains all the instructions for life – are organized into several tightly packed bundles called chromosomes. Jeff and his team use budding yeast to study how microtubules are used to move chromosomes and to make sure the two new cells get the right amount of genetic material and organelles. They want to figure out how the cell uses the microtubule highways to generate the force of movement to push the cell to divide as well as how the cell signals that all of the parts have made it to the right place for division to proceed. Discoveries from this research question will help scientists to understand similar processes in more complex organisms like humans, and how this goes wrong in diseases like cancer. 

How do cells become resistant to cancer drugs that target the microtubule highway system?

Drugs that affect microtubules are often used to treat cancer. These drugs work by disrupting the cell’s main internal structure needed for cell division, called the mitotic spindle, causing the cancer cells to die. The mitotic spindle is actually a larger structure made of many microtubules that work together to separate chromosomes during cell division. A big challenge to the successful use of these drugs is that some cancer cells become resistant to these drugs, which means they are able to carry out business as usual even in the presence of these drugs. While this may be a win for the cancer cell, it is a loss for the cancer patient. The Moore lab wants to see more cancer patients successfully fight cancer and are trying to figure out how cells develop resistance to these microtubule ‘poisons.’ Finding the answer to this research question could identify new targets and improve cancer treatment.

Future Directions for this research...

Dr. Moore and his research team will continue to investigate how microtubules are used and modified to coordinate and control important cellular processes. They hope to use this knowledge to improve human diseases like cancer and certain brain defects, like pachygyria and lissencephaly.

If you want to learn more about the scientist, please head to their official CU webpage

To learn more about the Moore Research Lab, you can find out more here:

Jeffrey Moore CU webpage link: /cell-and-developmental-biology/faculty/jeffrey-k-moore

Additional lab website link: